Medical Special Operations Conference 2019
Topics and Speakers
Equipping to Sustain Health - Must have cache equipment and how to pack it

Vincent Johnson
EMT-P
Vincent Johnson, EMT-P
Vincent is a decorated member of the FDNY with over 25 years of service, primarily in special operations. He is a charter member of FDNY’s Hazardous Incident Tactical Patrol Unit, Rescue Paramedic Program, and Special Operations Command Task Force.
Presently, Vincent is a clinical instructor for FDNY’s paramedic basic and Rescue Medic programs, and clinical preceptor for the United Stated Army Joint Special Operations Medical Training program. He also serves as a member of the Diplomatic Protection Unit.
Vincent’s 18-year involvement in disaster medicine includes being an active member of FEMA’s New York Urban Search and Rescue Task Force (NYTF1) as a Medical Specialist and a Logistics Specialist since 1996. He serves as a FEMA national cadre instructor for the US&R Medical Team Training Program and SME for FEMA curriculum development. His experience with US&R includes multiple Task Force deployments to the largest disasters FEMA has responded to since 1996, including the WTC, as a member of FDNY EMS.
Vincent also earned Technical Rescue and Haz-Mat Training Technician Level Certifications in Rope Rescue, Extrication, Trench Rescue, Confined Space, Structural Collapse, Haz-Mat, Haz-Tac, and WMD/CBRNE.
Rescue vs Recovery–Viability and risk assessment - Limited patient access skills and new technologies

Joshua Dietzer
M.D.
HazMat: The Three P’s (Prevent, Protect, Pursue) - Special Operations HazMat during deployment

Katie Roberts
FF / REMT-P
HazMat: The Three P’s (Prevent, Protect, Pursue) – Special Operations HazMat during deployment
By Katie Roberts, EMTP, FF, Hazmat Technician
This session will review evidence-based approaches to Identifying the correct procedures to prevent secondary contamination of emergency medical personnel at a HazMat incident. Managing a logical approach to preventing further exposure, caring for the patient and form the basis of EMS treatment. Force protection monitoring and surveillance options. Understand why separate plans for mitigating any situation are vital.
Katie Roberts, FF / REMT-P
Katie is an active member of FEMA US&R California TF-3 as a Medical Specialist and Hazmat Manager. She is a Paramedic/Firefighter/Engineer with the Santa Clara County Fire Department in Cupertino, California.
Katie has more than 16 years fire/EMS service experience, including time working in Special Operations as a Hazardous Materials Specialist/Rescue Medic since 2005. She is certified in Confined Space Operations, Rescue Systems I & II and as a CSTI Hazardous Materials Instructor. Katie is an instructor for HazmatIQ’s Technician and FRO Above/Below the Line Hazmat programs and also co-authored the ToxMedic program for HazmatIQ. She has helped train many of FDNY’s Haztac and rescue medics on how to better understand the complexity of responding and treating Hazardous Materials exposures. Katie is a hazardous material instructor for the IAFF, and teaches FEMA HM and Medical Specialist courses. She is currently assisting working on the curriculum as an subject matter expert (SME) for the Enhanced Operations in Contaminated Environment program for FEMA USAR HM Specialists.
Katie also donates her time as a guest speaker for the Fire Smoke Coalition, and helps educate firefighters on the Toxicity and Dangers of Fire Smoke.
Intentional Mass Casualties / (TARMC) - Targeted Automobile Ramming Mast Casualty

Paige Dodson
M.D., MPH, FAAFP
Dr. Dodson is Medical Director of Butler County EMS and is also a member of her
local rescue squad. She is a graduate of Kentucky University Med-Wichita, with residencies at Oregon Health and Sciences University in Portland, OR. Dr. Dodson is board certified in both Family Medicine and Preventive Medicine.
Dr. Dodson completed the FEMA Urban Search and Rescue Medical Team Specialist Program, and is a Medical Director for the Kansas Urban Search and Rescue Task Force. She also works as a staff physician in the Emergency Department at Kansas Medical Center in Andover.
Dr. Dodson has a passion for rural emergency services and for this work, was named KEMSA 2019 Physician of the Year. She, her husband, and their twins live on a hobby farm outside of Rosalia, Kansas.
Pediatric Disaster Response - Wind and Water – OH My!

Patricia Cantwell
M.D., FCCM
Dr. Cantwell has been involved in disaster medicine for over 25 years, and currently serves as the Medical Team Manager and Medical Director for the FEMA’s South Florida Urban Search and Rescue Task Force (FLTF2).
Her successful response to the Haiti Earthquake was significant in the recovery of seven live victims, including one necessary amputation within a collapsed/confined space environment. Her additional experience with US&R includes multiple Task Force deployments to the largest disasters FEMA has responded to since 1994, including the World Trade Center attacks, and numerous hurricane deployments.
Dr. Cantwell serves as a DHS/FEMA National lead instructor for the US&R Medical Team Training Program. This passion has led to numerous presentations and skills training to further the pursuit of excellence in the continuum of care from the field to tertiary care center in management of Crush Syndrome/Confined Space Rescue and Pediatric Trauma.
Dr. Cantwell is Professor and Division Chief of Pediatric Critical Medicine at the Holtz Children’s Hospital – Jackson Memorial / University of Miami and Director, Holtz Children’s Hospital Pediatric Palliative Care Team. Her areas of expertise include Trauma, Pre-hospital Care and Stabilization, Disaster Medicine, Pediatric Advanced Life Support, Transport Medicine, and Palliative Care.
Dr. Cantwell is well published, and has received accolades for teaching. She has been recognized as one of the “best Doctors in America” by Who’s Who in America, Florida Super Doctors Magazine, and the 2003 Woman of Vision Award presented by the Weizman Institute of Science.
Advanced Hypothermia Management

Beau A. Butherus
M.D.
Dr. Beau Butherus is an ER physician, currently practicing at multiple hospitals in the Kansas City area. He is a graduate from Loyola
University, Chicago medical school, and has been practicing Emergency Medicine for the last nine years.
Dr. Butherus is proud to be a Medical Team
Manager of Missouri Task Force 1, one of FEMA’s national USAR teams. He has completed multiple international medical missions’ trips to under-served locations. He has a strong passion for pre-hospital medicine and hopes to continue expanding this community both domestically and internationally.
Outside of practicing medicine Dr. Butherus enjoys scuba diving/reef conservation, and cross-training.
Active Shooter- SWAT Medics and TECC

Rishi Rattan
M.D., FACS
Dr. Rattan is a trauma and critical care surgeon at Jackson Memorial Hospital’s Ryder Trauma Center in Florida, and an Assistant Professor at the University of Miami. In addition to teaching several disciplines in a variety of acute clinical environments, he also provides didactic, clinical, simulation, cadaver, and live-tissue training for various agencies, including: US Army, US Air Force, Special Operations Surgical Team, Joint Medical Augmentation Unit, White House Medical Unit, and the Swedish Army Special Forces for austere, mass casualty, and combat settings. He is also a Medical Team Manager for a federal USAR team and a Subject Matter Expert for FEMA.
In his free time, Dr. Rattan enjoys jumping out of perfectly good airplanes.
Making the Right Call? Absolute decision making and understanding your role

Walt Lewis
CFO, EMT-P, TRT
Walt has been involved in the fire service since 1990, and spent the last 23 years with the Orlando Fire Department presently serving as a District Chief. He is a decorated veteran whose fire department experience includes multiple technical and Haz-Mat rescue operations.
Walt is also a Task Force Leader with Florida US&R Task Force 4 in Central Florida, where he began as a Tech Search Specialist and Medical Specialist in 2003. He has had numerous deployments to disasters in various capacities, including recent Water Mission Ready Package assets. He is a seasoned lecturer, and has presented US&R, military, and fire department programs teaching hands-on and lecture classes at local, state and national level program venues, including FDIC Fire Company Search Operations.
Walt is a Florida Instructor III, LFTI and a SUSAR Instructor. He serves as a US&R Medical Team Specialist course instructor and continues to deliver instruction with the Central Florida Fire Academy in the disciplines of Trench, Confined Space, Rope Rescue High-Angle, Vehicle-Machinery Extrication, and Structural Collapse/Shoring.
Lessons Learned 2019 - Recap of 2019 Do’s and Don’ts

Darrel Kohls
BBA, EMT-P
Darrel is currently serving as the Training and Safety Chief of the Wichita Fire Department in Kansas. His previous five years were serving
the department as Medical Training Coordinator, and as the Education and Training Manager of Wichita-Sedgwick County EMS Office of the Medical Director prior.
Darrel spent 15 years with Butler County EMS in Kansas, where he served as a paramedic and Director of Training and Development. He holds a Bachelor of Business Administration from Friends University, and an AS degree in EMS. Darrel also served our country for four years in the United States Navy.
Medical Management for Technical Rescue Events - Special Ops Response to Non-Mission Specific Assignment

Merrill Bone
BS, FF, HRT, EMT-P
Merrill has participated in a variety of transport arenas, from ground ambulance to rotor, and fixed wing. He also has extensive training in technical, collapse, and water / dive rescue. Merrill has worked in many clinical settings including the University of Utah Intermountain Burn Center and is an EMT and
Paramedic Instructor for the State of Utah. Merrill has been involved with the PEP-POD Program since its inception in 2003 and ending in 2011, as a Logistic Specialist for PST 8 in Utah.
Merrill has been with FEMA Urban Search and Rescue since its inception in 1992, as a member of Utah Task Force 1 (UT-TF1) and served on the FEMA National US&R Medical Working Group, and presently as a Medical Unit Leader for the Incident Support Teams (IST).
Merrill has served as the teams Medical
Coordinator for the past 11 years responsible for cache development and maintenance, personnel training and certification compliance and has participated in all federal and in-state task force deployments.
On a national level, Merrill is a lead instructor for several Federal Medical Team Training courses annually across the nation. His instruction includes Utah National Guard. Merrill is an instructor on staff at Utah Valley University, Utah Fire and Rescue Academy, in the RCA Program, and a Fire Certification Tester for the State of Utah.
Merrill holds Technical Rescue training with Technician Level Certifications in Rope Rescue, Extrication, Trench Rescue, Confined Space, and Structural Collapse. Merrill has an associate degree in Fire Science, and a bachelor’s degree in Emergency Service Management.
Beyond the Entrapment - Special Operations Medicine

Benjamin (Trip) McKinnon
CEP, FF, TRT, REMT-P
Trip has over 30 years’ experience in pre-hospital care, 28 years of which have been in the Metropolitan Phoenix, Arizona area as a Firefighter/Paramedic. He started with AZ TF-1 in 1992 as a Haz-Mat tech and in 1995 started coordinating the Medical section on the US&R team.
In 1997, Trip became certified in Technical Rescue, which placed him on the specialized rescue teams with the Phoenix Fire Department. He has experience as a flight paramedic on crash rescue teams, and for a medical transport company. Trip has been
actively involved in the cache development, maintenance, and training for the Medical section of AZTF-1 and was deployed to Oklahoma City and the Twin Towers disasters, as a FEMA Medical Specialist, in addition to multiple smaller responses. He serves as a FEMA national lead instructor for the US&R Medical Team Training Program and SME for FEMA curriculum development. Trip is an active member in the Rescue sectionof AZTF-1 and has been cross-trained in logistics and communications.
Instructional background includes ACLS, PALS, Phoenix Fire Medical training, and Technical Rescue training. He has instructed numerous courses for CA OES and FEMA in the Medical Specialist area. Trip possesses Technical Rescue and Haz-Mat Training Technician Level Certifications in Rope Rescue, Extrication, Trench Rescue, Confined Space, Structural Collapse, and Hazardous Materials.
Treating Trauma with Limited Resources - Hemorrhage Control and Wound Care

Jason Thompson
BS, EMT-P, TCCC, LEFR-TCC
Jason is a certified instructor in TCCC, TECC, and LEFR-TCC with Techline Technologies. He serves as Business Development, Strategic,
Tactical, and Military Medicine for Emergency Products and Research (EP+R).
Jason presently serves as the EMS program Manager for Combat Medical. He has completed the FEMA US&R Medical Team Specialist Course and serves the US&R National Response Program as a subject matter expert.
Jason is a national keynote speaker, and has presented medical issues regarding change to members of Congress.
Mayday! Team Member Down – Update for Team Member Emergency Response

Eric Allen
FF, TRT, EMT
Eric Allen is a decorated 24-year veteran of the Philadelphia Fire Department. He began his career in firefighting with the United States
Navy. In 1996, after honorable discharge, he joined Philadelphia Fire Dept. He has spent the last 15 years in Philadelphia’s Special Operations.
Eric’s years of experience in Technical Rescue led him to see firsthand the urgency of downed firefighters in confined spaces and the dangers faced, when their evacuations took too long to complete.
Eric is the creator of the FAST Board and Co- founder of FAST Rescue Solutions, LLC. His other accomplishments include being a member of FEMA US&R PA-TF 1 as a Rescue
Specialist, Technical Search Specialist and Technical Search Manager Specialist. He has also spent years as a US DoD Contractor
(Ret.).
Medical Considerations for Water MRP’s

Joe Hernandez
EMT-P, CCP, CTO, TRT
Force (FLTF2) since its inception in 1992, where he served as Medical Coordinator, Medical Specialist, and Rescue Specialist.
Joe also served as coordinator and lead instructor for the US&R Medical Team Training Program and subject matter expert for FEMA curriculum development. He has had multiple deployments to the largest disasters FEMA US&R has responded to since 1992. He possesses Technical Rescue and Haz-Mat
Training Technician Level Certifications in Rope Rescue, Extrication, Trench Rescue, Confined Space, Structural Collapse, Haz-Mat, and WMD/CBRNE.
Joe retires in 2011, as a decorated career veteran in the Fire Rescue Service. His department experiences include several successful technical operations including the Value Jet Crash as a rescue and dry suite diver.
Joe holds degrees in both Fire and Emergency Medical Sciences. He is bi-lingual. Joe’s passion in disaster education continues through Disaster Medical Solutions and
Medical Special Operations Community. He presently serves the SUSAR community on the medical working group.
Complex Incident Management

Gregg Bollella
BA, MBA, EMT-P
Gregg also serves as the Medical Work Group Leader for the KS OSFM, and the Medical Coordinator for Kansas TF-3.
Gregg completed the FEMA Urban Search and Rescue Medical Team Specialist Course. His education and career have exposed him to EMS systems in New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Kansas, and China.
Gregg holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Management, and Human Relations from Mid-America Nazarene University and an Executive MBA from Benedictine College.
MSOC Courses and Descriptions
TACTICAL EMERGENCY CASUALTY CARE - NAEMT / TECC

C. Max Boswell
BS, NRP
TACTICAL EMERGENCY CASUALTY CARE – NAEMT / TECC
Developed by the National Association of Emergency Medical Technicians (NAEMT) Pre-hospital Trauma Life Support (PHTLS) Committee, this program is based on the guidelines from the Committee on Tactical Emergency Casualty Care (C-TECC) and the Tactical Combat Casualty Care (TCCC) program. TECC is a set of best practice treatment guidelines for trauma care in the high-threat prehospital environment. These guidelines are built upon critical lessons learned by US and allied military forces over the past 17 years of conflict. They are appropriately modified to address the specific needs of civilian populations and civilian Responders. This includes pediatric, geriatric, and special needs patients as well as limitations of civilian EMS and the varied types of threats that all Responders face.
Max is a highly decorated EMT-P in the largest EMS service west of Charlotte, NC. He is an Assistant Operations Supervisor and is active on the Sheriff’s Tactical Team. He brings with him over 23 years’ experience in the EMS field. He is the primary medical instructor for local law enforcement officers and specializes in TCCC and TECC. Max is a Level-1 EMS Instructor and teaches at the local Community College in the Emergency Medical Science department. He is a former Ranger Medic. While serving, he attended several specialty medical courses including the Special Operations Combat Medical Course (SOCM) as well as the Operational Emergency Skills Course (OEMS).
FIELD LIMB AMPUTATION - SEDATION / CADAVER LAB

Dr. Rishi Rattan
Dr. John M. Gallagher
FIELD LIMB AMPUTATION – SEDATION / CADAVER LAB
A field limb amputation is a rare life-saving procedure that can be employed as a last resort method of disentangling a victim from a complex entrapment. It may also be employed to dismember a deceased victim on order to access a live entrapped victim. Learn the critical decision process and hands-on skills required for performing field limb amputations in addition to other procedures. Classroom and field exercise at the WFD Regional Training Center.
Dr. Rishi Rattan, MD FACS
Rishi Rattan is a trauma and critical care surgeon at Jackson Memorial Hospital’s Ryder Trauma Center and an Assistant Professor at the University of Miami. In addition to teaching several disciplines in a variety of acute clinical environments, he also provides didactic, clinical, simulation, cadaver, and live-tissue training for various agencies, including: US Army, US Air Force, Special Operations Surgical Team, Joint Medical Augmentation Unit, White House Medical Unit, and the Swedish Army Special Forces for austere, mass casualty, and combat settings. He is a Medical Team Manager for a federal USAR team and a Subject Matter Expert for FEMA. In his free time, he enjoys jumping out of perfectly good airplanes.
Dr. John M. Gallagher, MD
Dr. Gallagher is an Emergency Physician and the EMS System Medical Director for Wichita/Sedgwick County. He completed medical school at Temple University in Philadelphia and residency in Emergency Medicine at Geisinger Health system, where he also worked as a flight physician for LifeFlight Air Ambulance. Before moving to Kansas, he practiced community emergency medicine and rural EMS in southeast Minnesota. Dr. Gallagher has a special interest in EMS system design as well as implementation of evidence based national standards at the local level. He has served at the state level as a chapter board member for ACEP and currently at the national level as the NAEMSP Vice-Chair for Standards and Practice.
Scott Perkins, EMT-P, FF, CRT
Scott has been a member of FEMA US&R Ohio TF-1 since 1997 and the Medical Team Coordinator since 2000. He has been deployed on 11 incidents including the World Trade Center and Hurricanes Ivan, Katrina, Rita, Ike and Harvey. He is a Lead Instructor for the FEMA MTS course and has taught several classes across the country.
Scott is certified as a Collapse Rescue Tech. with certifications at the Technician level in Trench, Rope, and Collapse Rescue. Scott recently retired as a decorated veteran in the fire service in 2018. He started in the Fire service in 1981 and served as a Firefighter/Paramedic with the Kettering Fire Department in Kettering Ohio for over 31 years. During his career, he had been assigned to their Ladder / Heavy Rescue Company, ALS Engine, and Medic unit. He’s also spent time at Kettering Memorial Hospital in the Emergency Dept. as an ED Tech for several years. Scott is a State of Ohio instructor in ACLS, BLS, and EMS. He has also taught the EMS program at Sinclair Community College
Ahmed Abousaleh, EMT-P, FF, CRT
Ahmed is a decorated member of the City of Miami Fire Department where he serves as a firefighter, paramedic, engineer, and as a Hazardous Materials Technician since 2007. He is the member and Medical Team Coordinator for FEMA Urban Search and Rescue South Florida task Force 2. He serves on the FEMA US&R Incident Support Team as a medical and safety officer. His experience includes multiple disaster deployments with FL-Tf2. Ahmed began hi medical career serving as an Army Combat Medic with deployments to Bosnia and Herzegovina during Operation Joint Guard. He holds instructor certifications with the Florida State Fire College and is a lead federal instructor for the FEMA US&R Medical Team Specialist Program.
K9 ADVANCED VETERINARY CARE COURSE – Search & Rescue, Police and Working K-9

Dr. Jennifer Brown
Dr. Scott Mason
K9 ADVANCED VETERINARY CARE COURSE – Search & Rescue, Police and Working K-9
Learn to provide medical care for our four-legged Task Force members and Tactical Partners! The course focuses on concepts for working dog emergencies in the field. Handlers learn to focus on medical assessments and observation changes. A strong emphasis on injury/illness prevention. Restraint specific handling skills for assisting with medical care procedures. Cutting-edge lecture presentation and practical skills with real world experience utilizing working K9’s and high fidelity K9 manikin simulation. This two-day course will provide you with a strong foundation in providing initial medical care during on/off-duty environments, training, and deployments.
This meets the position specific Canine Emergency Field Care training course requirements specified in the National US&R Standard and has been sanctioned by the State Urban Search and Rescue Alliance (SUSAR).
Jennifer Brown, DVM, DACVS
In 2007, Dr. Brown became an official member of MD TF-1 as the team veterinarian. As the team veterinarian, she developed regular lectures and laboratories for handlers on different aspects of canine emergency care. These lectures serve to prepare handlers in first aid with the specific goal of assessing and treating injuries in their K-9 partners, when veterinary care is not immediately accessible. In 2009, she passed her Certification Evaluation with her Labrador Retriever, Phanesse. After relocating to Florida in 2010 she transferred to Florida Task Force-2 where she now serves as a Canine Search Specialist and Team Veterinarian. Dr. Brown serves as a national cadre instructor for the FEMA US&R Medical Team Training Canine Care. As a member of VMAT-2, Dr. Brown became involved with canine Urban Search and Rescue when deployed to Mississippi and Louisiana for 5 weeks following hurricanes Katrina and Rita. She began training with Maryland Task Force-1 (MD TF-1) in 2006, both to train in search and rescue techniques and to gain more insight into the medical needs of Urban Search and Rescue dogs. A 1999 graduate of Washington State University College of Veterinary Medicine, Dr. Brown continued to a residency in equine surgery at Michigan State University. She became a board-certified Diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Surgeons in 2004. She currently is working in small animal practice in Tampa, Florida as well as doing equine relief work in the area. Dr. Brown is also an active member of the AVMA VMAT-2, Florida State Animal Response Team, and Florida Veterinary Response Corp. In 2008 she was appointed to the AVMA Committee on Disaster and Emergency Issues.
Scot Mason, DVM, EMT
Dr. Mason first became involved with search and rescue following the bombing of the Alfred Murrah building in Oklahoma City in 1995. He provided medical care for the search and rescue canines and helped coordinate veterinary volunteers at the site. Since that time, Dr. Mason has been quite active in the disaster response, public health and homeland security fields. He has been a member of Oklahoma Task Force -1 US&R since it was created and serves as canine medical field support. Dr. Mason is a member of the National Disaster Medical System National Veterinary Response Team and has served the role of Region VI Coordinator. He is also a member of the National Animal Health Emergency Response Corp, the Oklahoma MRC State Animal Response Team and the Oklahoma Homeland Security Council. He has previously served as the Oklahoma Veterinary Medical Association Disaster Preparedness Coordinator, the Program Coordinator for the Oklahoma MRC State Animal Response Team, the chair for the American Veterinary Medical Association Committee on Disaster and Emergency Issues as well as the co- chair for the best medical practices working group for the National Alliance of State Agriculture and Animal Emergency Programs. He has presented at numerous national and local conferences and created several documents related to disaster preparedness and response activities. He currently teaches operational canine medicine at the College of Veterinary Medicine at Oklahoma State University and has taught animal emergency preparedness at Oklahoma State University – OKC and served as a Medical Specialist Instructor for a private emergency response training company. He has been deployed both with OKTF-1 and NVRT to numerous events both within the State of Oklahoma and nationally. His most recent deployments were with OKTF-1 for the tornado event response in El Reno, Oklahoma and with NVRT he was the lead Federal field veterinarian for the support of the operational canines at the Republican National Convention in Cleveland, Ohio. Dr. Mason received his Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree from Oklahoma State University in 1991. After spending a year as an associate in another practice he joined the staff of Putnam North Animal Hospital in Oklahoma City and has owned the practice since 1994. He received his certification as an Emergency Medical Technician – Basic in 2008 and has a strong interest in Canine Tactical Emergency Casualty Care.
Matt Haywood, EMTP, Battalion Chief (Ret.)
In 2017, Matt retired after 33 years of service with Palm Beach Gardens Fire Rescue in Florida. He worked through the ranks holding the positions of Firefighter, Driver, Medic, Lieutenant, Special Response Team Lieutenant, EMS Captain and Battalion Chief. Matt’s love of training led him to organize training programs not only for his department, but other departments to include Palm Beach State College, teaching specialized courses in Rope, Confined, Trench, Structural Collapse Rescue, Paramedic, ACLS and PALS instructor courses. Matt was one of the founding members of the department’s SWAT Medic program, where he served with the Palm Beach Gardens Police Department for 21 years as an Entry Medic, Sniper and Dignitary Protection Team member. His passion for training led him to organize and provide tactical medical, K-9 medical, and firearms training to the department and other surrounding agencies. Matt’s experience in dive rescue and interest in dive medicine led him to 19 years of service in the Hyperbaric Medicine department at St. Mary’s Medical center in West Palm Beach Florida. During his last nine years, he was the department’s safety director, overseeing the departments treatment and safety procedures as well as training new team members. He also delivered hyperbaric training and lectures to other hospital staff and local fire rescue agencies though a community outreach program. In 2004 Matt became a member of the Department of Homeland Security FEMA’s South Florida Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) Task Force (FL-TF2), where he served as a Rescue Specialist, Haz-Mat Specialist and Medical Specialist. Matt has responded with USAR to several challenging deployments which include Hurricane Katrina (Mississippi and New Orleans), the 2010 Haiti earthquakes, Hurricane Irma (Florida Keys) and several other smaller responses.
Carson Chinn, CSS
Carson is a certified FEMA US&R Canine Search Specialist and a Task Force Member with State of Georgia Search and Rescue. Carson serves as an instructor in canine medical care for tactical and search team members throughout the country. He is presently serving as the Assistant K9 Coordinator for GSAR-K9 and GBRT-K9. He completed work as a Rescue Specialist with GEMA and serves as a volunteer firefighter with Dowson County, GA. Carson has been involved in the response industry since 2005 and has been the Director of Marketing & Sales with FERNO Military/Aviation for 14 years.